Foreign Office reports a rise in the number of hospitalisations, deaths,
rapes, and cases of lost or stolen passports.

The number of Britons requiring consular assistance abroad rose last year, according to the Foreign Office.

Excluding lost and stolen passports, it handled 19,874 cases between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012 – up by three per cent on 2010/11 – with the highest number of incidents occurring in Spain (5,405), US (1,822), and France (1,319).

However, when comparing the number of British visitors to the country with the number of consular cases, the Philippines was the country where consulate assistance was most likely to be needed, followed by Thailand, Jamaica and Pakistan.

A small increase in the number of hospitalisations was reported, with around 70 Britons, on average, requiring treatment each week. More than 30 per cent of those cases occurred in Spain. In Majorca and Ibiza, both traditionally popular with younger Britons, hospitalisations rose by 132 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively.

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The number of deaths, rapes and cases involving lost or stolen passports also rose.

The Foreign Office reported that 6,237 Britons died while overseas, up from 5,972 in 2010/11, while instances of rape rose from 115 to 127. The number of lost or stolen passports climbed from 25,969 in 2010/11 to 28,569.

The highest number of reported sexual assaults occurred in Egypt (24), followed by Turkey (23).

Last month it was reported that the number of Britons arrested while abroad had also risen, from 5,700 in 2010/11 to 6,015.

The statistics cover not only those Britons on holiday but also anyone living overseas.

“While the prospect of ending up in a foreign hospital may be the last thing on your mind as you head overseas for a summer break, sometimes things do go wrong on holiday and many people deeply regret not taking out comprehensive travel insurance,” said Jeremy Browne, Consular services minister.

“We witness many cases where people have invalidated their policy – perhaps by not declaring a pre-existing medical condition or not checking their policy covers a particular activity, such as hiring a moped.

“Unfortunately they are then surprised that the Foreign Office cannot pay for their bills and flight home.”